


Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Queeniac



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Mary Poppins (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Heavy Angst, Mary Poppins is honestly my entire childhood, So much angst, The Doctor is Mary Poppins, why am I doing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26279854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queeniac/pseuds/Queeniac
Summary: okay so this might sound insane but it's pretty good and you should probably try it okay trust me
Relationships: Bert & Mary Poppins, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Nothing Gold Can Stay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [1f_this_be_madness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/1f_this_be_madness/gifts).



> This is fuelled by insomnia + caffeine, and inspired by a tumblr post I saw a while back about one of the Doctor's regenerations being Mary Poppins. Not sure how accurate/plausible this is, but I had to fic it. So... enjoy the madness. I hope you like it, as I'm actually pretty proud of the final product. 
> 
> For 1f_this_be_madness. I don't know if you like Mary Poppins or Doctor Who, but this work is for you because you're amazing and I love talking to you. (go check them out peeps their writing is amazing)
> 
> Title taken from the Robert Frost poem of the same name (my fave poem of all time).  
> Edit: I found a version of the post, I think: https://me.me/i/and-he-wantsyouto-respect-i-speak-horse-hes-called-susan-17675192

The Doctor had been a woman for a while now. Her name was Mary Poppins, as it wasn't exactly practical to go by "The Doctor" as a nanny. And 1912 London was a bit weird about a woman being a doctor (even if she wasn't just any old doctor), so Mary Poppins it was.

Bert was her companion for a time, and he remained a dear friend. It was Bert that had recommended she come look after the Banks children. She knew perfectly well there was nothing wrong with them nor their parents -at least, nothing of the timey-wimey sort- Bert simply worried about her. It was sweet of him, really, and she was rather fond of Bert, so she obliged him and came to nanny at number 17 Cherry Tree Lane. 

* * *

Mary Poppins had begun to like Jane and Michael. More than begun, really, but she was all too familiar with the dangers of liking humans to acknowledge that. 

Bert had thought himself simply brilliant, showing off her magic to the children that day. "Oh, let's go for a lark in a pavement drawing, children won't blab _that_ all over the town." He knew she couldn't refuse him. Even after all that, here she was on her way to meet him, Jane and Michael safely asleep in their beds. 

Bert didn't see her coming. "Hello, Bert," she called. 

He spun around with his trademark grin, almost too large for his face. "Mary Poppins! Fancy seein' you 'ere, eh?" he said with an exaggerated wink. 

She sighed. ""What on _earth_ do you want me here for at this hour? A lady like me! It's really quite indecent, Bert."

"Right you are. But a lady such as yerself wouldn't leave a poor, defenseless chimney sweep like me all alone, would you now, Mary Poppins?"

"Bert, you are as a bad as a child."

"'Course. Innit lovely?" he asked, all exuberant smile and proffered arm. 

"I should say not." For half a second, his face dropped; then she took his arm and smiled. "Lead the way!"

* * *

Sitting on a bench with Bert, gazing at the stars together, the Doctor was happy. She looked over at Bert as he beamed up at the sky, and she was instantly taken back countless years and many regenerations ago. 

A blonde girl stared up at the sky, eyes soft and smile wide. The Doctor knew he wore a similar expression, but he gazed at her, not the cosmos. He had millenia to take in the stars, and this moment to see her.   
  
And the Doctor remembered her name. 

_Rose. Her name was Rose._

_"And I suppose... if it's my last chance to say it... Rose Tyler-"_

Bert looked at her, concerned, and serious for once. "You alright there?"

She opened her mouth to assure him that everything was fine, she was perfectly alright, thank you very much, and no sound emerged. Tears glistened against her will in her stubborn eyes. 

_Oh God._

_Rose._

She was so lonely. So very, very alone. _The lonely angel_ , she thought with bitterness. 

Bert gently placed his arm around her. 

"It'll be alright," he said softly. "I've gotcha, Mary Poppins."

"Oh, Bert. You know it won't be."

And Bert, the eternal optimist, wordlessly held the Doctor as she broke. 

* * *

Mary Poppins watched as the Bankses skipped out of her life. Nobody was there to see her melancholy expression, just as she had carefully orchestrated it. 

Her umbrella squawked, "That's gratitude for you. Didn't even say goodbye."

"No, they didn't." She was rather proud of how steady her voice came out.

"Look at them," the umbrella continued. "You know, they think more of their father than they do you."

"That's as it should be."

"Well, don't you care?"

"Practically perfect people never permit sentiment to muddle their thinking."

"Is that so?" it queried scornfully. "Well, I'll tell you one thing, Mary Poppins- you don't fool me one bit."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. I know exactly how you feel about those children, and if you think I'm going to keep my mouth shut any longer, I-" Mary clamped the umbrella's beak shut with one deft movement of her hand.

"That will be quite enough of that, thank you." She opened her umbrella, and nodded once, sharply, before beginning her ascent into the clouds. 

Bert looked up, and called, "Goodbye, Mary Poppins. Don't stay away too long."

She mustered up one last bright smile for dear Bert. He grinned back and waved briefly. 

The Doctor looked away, just in time for tears to slide down her face without anyone seeing. For she wouldn't be seeing Bert again. After thousands of years, her time had come to an end. 

This was the Doctor's last day of her final regeneration. 

**Author's Note:**

> Was your soul as crushed by this as mine was? Please tell me. I want to know your thoughts!  
> Also, know that I spent a long-ass time trying to convince my brain to make this happy, but I couldn't. I may or may not have cried over this. Anyway. Please comment, whether your comment is criticism or praise, it is much needed and appreciated. Thanks for reading <3


End file.
